Hinge for furniture.



No. 696,6`7l. Parfum Apr, l, |902.V

lE. A. GAY. HINGE yFR FURNITURE.

(Application led Oct. 19, 1901.) (No Model.)

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EDGAR A. GAY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TI'IE SENG COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HINGE FOR FURNITURE.

SIELGEFIGATION forming part of' Itters Patent No. 696,671, dated April 1, 1902.

Application filed October 19, 1901. Serial Na 79,262. (No modell T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR A. GAY, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hinges for Furniture; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specica'tion, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide a hinge adapted to he employed for connecting adjustable portions of furniture, and also to provide a locking mechanism that shall be capable of sustaining said parts of the furniture in adjusted position and which shall be automatic in its operation, thereby providing a structure that may be concealed from view and operated without interfering with the upholstering of said parts.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter fully described, and the novel features pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hinge vconstructed in accordance with my invention, shown in the closed position. Figs. 2 to t are diagrammatic views illustrating the operation of the hinge, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line te of Fig. 4.

Similar reference-numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

The device as illustrated embodies the hinge members 1 and 2, having at their upper ends overlapping portions through which passes a journal or pintle 3, and, as before stated, the hinge is adapted to be applied for connectingmovable portions of furniture, such as the seat and back portions of adjustable or reclining chairs or couches, said parts being indicated by A and B. The hinge members are secured to the respective parts by means of screws 1l, and flanges or lips 5 and 6 are formed on the members and adapted to extend over the top and end portions, respectively, of the portions A and B to further secure them and to relieve the weight and strain from the screws. Arranged on the member 1 and extending in a substantially horizontal position is a track or supportingsurface S, and below the latter and between it and` the member l is a rack 9, said guide and rack being formed by curving the lower end of the member outwardly, as shown particularly in Fig. 2, and perforating the bottom of this portion, forming apertures 10, which are preferably spaced equidistant.

A pawl 12, pivoted at 13 to the member 2, is adapted to travel over t-he rack 9 and is provided with a nose or projection 14 on its lower side, adapted to engage in the apertures 10, and the length of the pawl 12 is such that the nose le extends over the end of the rackwhen the hinge members are closed, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to be out of engagement with the rack. It will be readily1 seen that the portion B may be adjusted to various intermediate positions between the horizontal and vertical by engaging the nose 14 successively in any of the apertures of the rack.

The nose projects slightly forward at its lower end, forming the inclined rear edge, which allows it to easily rise over the end of the rack in first opening the hinge from the position shown in Fig. 1 and also to permit its being disengaged from the subsequent apertures in the rack. In orderto support the pawl when removed from engagement with lthe last aperture or from any of the other apertures, I provide a carrier in the form of a plate 15, pivoted to the pawl above the nose 14 on a stud 16 and having an outwardly-extending iange or foot 17, the distance from the lower side of which to the stud 16 is greater than the distance between the track S and the said stud when the pawl is in the normal position-with the nose 14: in engagement with the rack, so that as the pawl is drawn across the rack the carrier is trailed over the track or supporting-surface 8 in the position shown in Fig. 2, from which it gravitates or swings to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4: when the pawl is elevated to allow the parts to be adjusted to a lower position, as will be further described. The limit of vertical adjustment is reached when the parts A and B are at substantially right angles, and to limit their movement in this direction the pawl is IOO provided with a projection or hook 2O at its upper side, adapted to engage a stop inthe form of alip 21, that projects or may be struck up from the member 1 and so arranged that the rear engaging incl-ined surface of the hook riding against said stop will cause the pawl to be raised by the continued movement of the portion Bsufficiently to disengage the nose from the rack, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. The carrier then swings to a vertical position (shown in Fig. 3) with itsange or 'foot 17 resting upon the track 8, whenupon the return movement of the hinge member and the pawl its engaging end 14 will be held out of engagement with the rack until the carrier passes off the front end of the track and the hinge members are closed or until the members have been brought to the desired point of adjustment,when the pawl may be again engaged with the rack by a slight opening or upward movement of said members to overthrow or again tilt the carrier, as shown in Fig. 2. rlhe foot or fiange 17 ofthe carrier is of sufficient width to hold the pawl out of engagement with the rack when said carrier occupies the position shown in Figs. 3 and It and extends in advance of the forward side of its pivot and toward the inner end of the rack, so'as to support the pawl when moving inwardly. The rear edge of the foot is terminated beneath the pivot, thereby permittin g the carrier to be overthrown when the hingemembers are separated slightly to give the pawl. a rearward movement, which will allow the end of the pawl to drop into reni gagement with the rack to lock the parts in anydesired intermediate point of adjustment without requiring the hinge members to be entirely closed. j

Located upon the pawl above the stud 16 is a lug or projection 25, adapted t-o be engaged by a finger or projection 26 on the carrier 15, which retains the latterin proper position when disengaged from the track 8 and, limiting the movement ofthe carrier about the stud 16 prevents it from getting out of the operative position in case the furniture is turned bottom side upward in handling during ship'- ment or otherwise. The lip 21, struck up from the member 1, has a forwardly-projecting end 22, which extends over the outer side of the hook or projection 20, preventing lateral movement of the pawl, whereby in case of looseness of the parts it might be thrown out of operative position when the nose 14 is elevated above the track 8.

The hinge connection described is simple and cheap in construction,bein g capable of being made of sheet metal and readilystamped or formed by dies, and it may be readily applied by unskilled operators to recliningchairs, couches, or other adjustable mechanisms. While I prefer to form the members, as shown, of but fourparts, of metal, it will be understood that the rack and support could be made separate from the pieces directly connected by the hingsspintle and attached separately tothe parts of the furniture or other article.

The hinge I have shown and described is particularly adapted to be made from sheet metal and stamped or pressed intol the desired form, and the construction by means of which the pawl may be lifted from engagement with the rack and moved in Aeither direction furnishes a hinge that is particularly adapted for reclining-chairs, couches, and similar articles of furniture, as the latter may be adjusted from a higher to a lower position without the necessity of moving the parts through the whole range of adjustment each time it is desired to effect a change.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a hinge, the combination, of two members, a rack on one of the members, a pawl on the other member engaging the rack to support said members in adj usted position when moved outwardly,a supporting-surface on the first member, and a carrier adapted to slide on the said supporting-surface and attached to the pawl to support the latter out of engagement with the rack when said pawl is moved inwardly.

2. In a hinge, the combination, of two members, a rack on one of the members, and a pawl carried by the other member and adapted to engage the rack, a supporting-,surface on the rst-mentioned member, a carrier adapted to slide thereon and pivotally connected to the pawl, and means forraising the latter out ot' engagement with the rack, whereby thecarrier is permittedrto fall to an operative position for supporting the pawl on the said'sup porting-surface. Y

3. In a hinge, the combination', of two members, a rack at one side of one of said members, said rack having a supporting-surface, a pawl carried bythe other member and-engaging .the rack, a carrier adapted to slide on the supporting-surface and pivotally connected to the pawl, and means for elevating the pawl when at the end of the rack, whereby the said carrier is caused tov assume a-position with relation to the supporting-surface to cause said carrier to support the pawl out of engagement with said rack.

4. In a hinge, the combination, of two members, a rack and a supporting-surface on one of said members, a pawl carried by the other member and normally engaging the raclz,`a stop adapted to be engaged by the pawl for limiting the separation of the said members, a carrier on the pawl, and means for causing said carrier to move beneath the pawl and engage the supporting-surface for the support of the pawl when the latter engages said stop.

5. In a hinge, the combination, of two members, a rack and a supporting-surface on one of the members, a pawl having an inclined face and pivoted to the other member and adapted to engage the rack, a carrier pivoted on the pawl, and a stop adapted to be engaged by the inclined face of the pawl whereby the pawl is limited lin its movement and I OO IIO

elevated out ot engagement with the rack and said carrier permitted to fall to the supporting-surface and thereby support said pawl.

b'. In ahinge, the combination, with a member having a rack extending in Substantially horizontal position, a second member pivoted to the first, of a pawl pivoted on the second member below the pivotal joint ot said members and adapted to be drawn across the said rack when the members are separated, means operating to elevate the pawl out of engagement with the rack, and a carrier for supporting the pawl out of operative position when said members approach each other.

7. In a hinge, the combination, with a member having the outwardly-curved lower portion forming a supporting-surface and having the rack, of a second member, a pawl thereon the free end of which is adapted to engage the rack when said member is moved in one direction, and the carrier pivoted to the pawl and adapted to move on the supporting-surface out of operative position to support the pawl and to engage the supporting-surface and support the pawl ont of engagement with the rack when the pawl is moved with its memberin the opposite direction. A

S. In a hinge, the combination, of two members, one having a rack, and a pawl pivoted to the other member and adapted to engage the rack, a part pivoted to the pawl and adapted to slide in an operative position on the member carrying the rack, a stop on said member, and a projection on the pawl engaging the stop, whereby the pawl is lifted out of engagement with the rack and the said pivoted part allowed to pass into operative position, whereby the pawl will be supported and the hinge members allowed to close.

9. In ahinge, the combination, of two members, one of said members havinga guide and a rack, a pawl on the other member coperating with said rack, a carrier pivoted to the pawl and adapted to support the latter out of engagement with the rack when said carrier and pawl are moving in one direction, said carrier having the elongated base coperating as specified with the guide.

10. In a hinge, the combination, of two members, one having a rack and a support, a pawl mounted on the other member, adapted to engage the rack and having an inclined surface, a stop on the first member adapted to be engaged by said inclined surface of the pawl and to limit the separat-ion of the members and raise the pawl out of engagement with the rack, and means between the support and pawl adapted to coact with the two when the pawl is raised to hold the latter out of operative position when moving across the rack in one direction.

Ill.` In -a hinge, the combination, of two members, one having a rack and a support, a pawl on the other member adapted to engage the rack, said pawl having an inclined surface, a stop on the first member adapted to be engaged by said inclined surface of the pawl, to elevate the latter out of engagement with the rack, and having a projection extending over the face of the pawl tlimit its pivotal movement, and means between the support and pawl actuated by the engagement of the latter with the stop to hold the pawl out of operative position when it is being returned across the rack.

l2. In a hinge, the combination, of two members, one of said members havinga rack and a supporting-surface, and the other provided with a pawl having an inclined surface, a stop on the firstmentioned member arranged in the path of and adapted to be engaged by said inclined surface of the pawl and to elevate the latter out of engagement with the outer end of the rack, a carrier pivoted on the pawl and having abearing--surface extending toward the inner end of the rack in advance of its pivotal point and adapted to engage the supporting-surface of the opposite member when the pawl is elevated and to move over the same.

13. In a hinge, the combination, of opposite pivoted members, a rack adjacentto one of the same, a pawl pivoted to the other of said members and adapted to engage the rack when said pawl is moved in one direction, and means for permitting the engagement of the pawl at any point of the rack when said pawl and its carrying member is moved first in the disengaging direction and subsequently in an opposite or engaging direction.

14. In a hinge, the combination, of opposite pivoted leaves or members, a pawl connected loosely to one of the same, a pawl-engaging device located on the companion member or leaf and adapted to engage said pawl for the purpose of giving intermediate adjustments to said leaves or members, and' means operated by the members forcausing said pawl and engaging device to coperate or engage at any of said intermediate adjustments without the necessity of operating the said hinge members to their limit of adjustment.

EDGAR A. GAY. Witnesses:

G. WILLARD RICH, WALTER B. PAYNE.

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